Sonia Sotomayor La Juez Que Creció En El Bronx: A Judge Grows in the Bronx (Bilingual English/Spanish)

by Jonah Winter (Author) Edel Rodriguez (Illustrator)

Sonia Sotomayor La Juez Que Creció En El Bronx: A Judge Grows in the Bronx (Bilingual English/Spanish)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

The inspiring and timely story of Sonia Sotomayor, who rose up from a childhood of poverty and prejudice to become the first Latino to be nominated to the US Supreme Court.

Before Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took her seat in our nation's highest court, she was just a little girl in the South Bronx. Justice Sotomayor didn't have a lot growing up, but she had what she needed -- her mother's love, a will to learn, and her own determination. With bravery she became the person she wanted to be. With hard work she succeeded. With little sunlight and only a modest plot from which to grow, Justice Sotomayor bloomed for the whole world to see.


La inspiradora y oportuna historia de Sonia Sotomayor, quien se levantó de una niñez de pobreza y prejuicios para convertirse en la primera latina en ser nominada a la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos.

Antes de que la magistrada de la Corte Suprema Sonia Sotomayor llegara al máximo tribunal de nuestra nación, no era más que una niñita en el South Bronx. La magistrada Sotomayor no tuvo mucho durante sus primeros años, pero sí tuvo lo que contaba -- el amor de su madre, la voluntad de aprender y su propia determinación. Con valentía se hizo la persona que quería ser. Con trabajo arduo triunfó. Con un poquito de sol en un solarcito donde crecer, la magistrada Sotomayor floreció para que todo el mundo la vea.

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Publishers Weekly

Winter ("Barack") offers an impressionistic, at times repetitive, bilingual biography of Supreme Court justice Sotomayor. The author explains that Sotomayor's mother, raising her two children in the South Bronx, worked night and day, day and night to support them and pay their private school tuition after their father died, leaving just an empty chair and much sadness. Determined to become a judge, Sotomayor also worked hard: while other kids may have been goofing off, Sonia was studying at her mother's kitchen tableyear after year after year after year. Though it effectively conveys Sotomayor's personality and accomplishments, Winter's conversational narrative rambles; of her Supreme Court nomination, he writes, This was huge (Gulp.) There had never been a Latin American on the Supreme Court. How strange this was! Rodriguez's ("Sergio Makes a Splash!") mixed-media illustrations feature chalky textures, gauzy coloring, and sketchy linework, providing competent portraits of Sotomayor and President Obama in a palette of grassy greens and terra cotta that particularly bring to life scenes from her Bronx childhood. An author's note offers additional details about Sotomayor's life. Ages 48. "(Nov.)" Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3 Winter chronicles the life of the first Latina Supreme Court justice, from her childhood in the Bronx to her historic nomination. The tone is upbeat from its opening line: You never know what can happen. Sotomayor certainly had a lot of obstacles to overcome: poverty, juvenile diabetes, and the death of her father when she was nine. But Winter clearly identifies hard work, determination, and a loving extended family as the keys to her success. The author is honest about how her socioeconomic background sometimes made her feel alienated at Princeton University. The emphasis, though, is on her ability to thrive like a flowering vine that would not stop growing. Images of flowers blooming unify the text and the illustrations. Rodriguezs warm yellows and oranges also underscore the optimism of Winters text. Moreover, the variety of media used (pastel, acrylic, spray paint, and oil-based paints) perfectly echoes the rich textures of Sotomayors life. The Spanish translation is excellent and makes the book accessible to Latino families. Sotomayors story can inspire children of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds to work hard and pursue educational and professional success.

"Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY" Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[A]s impressive and meaningful as Judge Sotomayor's sterling credentials in the law is her own extraordinary journey." — President Barack Obama

"Tan impresionante y significativa como las credenciales legales de la juez Sotomayor es su extraordinaria jornada." — Presidente Barack Obama
Jonah Winter
Jonah Winter is the author of many award-winning books about baseball figures, including Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates; You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!; and You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! His other stellar titles include Here Comes the Garbage Barge!, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; Frida, a Parents' Choice Gold Medal winner; and Dizzy, the recipient of Best Book of the Year citations from Booklist, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, The Bulletin, and Kirkus Reviews.

Barry Blitt's illustrations have appeared on the cover of the New Yorker and have also graced the pages of the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, Child magazine, and Entertainment Weekly. He is the illustrator of the children's books While You Were Napping by Jenny Offill and George Washington's Birthday by Margaret McNamara, as well as Once Upon a Time, the End: Asleep in 60 Seconds by Geoffrey Kloske.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781442403031
Lexile Measure
840
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
November 20, 2009
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF038100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF011000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Careers
JNF018030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic/Latino
Library of Congress categories
United States
Spanish language materials
Bilingual
Women judges
Sotomayor, Sonia
Judges
Americas Award for Children & Young Adult Literature
Commended 2010 - 2010

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